LAWRENCE: Joy, Hopes and Dreams

HomeFront program inspires young people to propser

By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
   Michael Woods is the first to admit that he doesn’t know where he would be, if it were not for HomeFront’s Joy, Hopes and Dreams program — which, for him, has lived up to its name.
   Mr. Woods came into contact with the program when his mother turned to HomeFront for help when the family’s circumstances changed. The nonprofit group, whose headquarters is on Princeton Avenue in Lawrence, helps the homeless and the working poor.
   Mr. Woods, who graduated from Lawrence High School in 2010, is enrolled at Mercer County Community College. His goal is to become a physical education teacher.
   ”I went to tutoring at ‘Joy, Hopes and Dreams.’ It helped me mostly because it gave me something to do after school. You try to stay out of trouble, and it contributed to keeping me out of trouble when I was young. I didn’t have to go down that road (into trouble),” Mr. Woods said.
   Through the program, Mr. Woods played on HomeFront’s basketball team. Now, he coaches the team. The program has been “a major inspiration” in his life, he said, adding that he “definitely” appreciates what it has done for him.
   ”(The program) helped me to grow up. I would definitely not be where I am. I don’t know where I would be. I could be in a completely different place. When I was growing up, there was no steady male figure in my life. I want to model myself so the children can model after me,” said the 20-year-old, who volunteers at HomeFront.
   HomeFront had worked for years to help the homeless families that had found shelter at the motels on Brunswick Pike in Lawrence. The group brought meals to the homeless families and helped them as much as possible, eventually providing enrichment and educational opportunities for the families.
   ”A few years after HomeFront was founded, staff time was pretty much consumed by the need to provide emergency shelter for hundreds of homeless families every day,” said Connie Mercer, HomeFront’s executive director.
   ”One day, a donor gave us 50 tickets to the ‘Nutcracker’ ballet, which was being put on by a local troupe, and a bus-load of homeless families was taken to the performance,” Ms. Mercer said. “A week later, we received a letter from Linda, who attended with her three boys.”
   ”She wrote, ‘Thank you for all you do. But thank you especially for taking us to the ballet. We had never seen a live show before. It made us feel like normal people. When I saw my boys dancing and leaping in the parking lot after the show, it made my heart feel glad,.’”
   ”And she wrote that ‘If we are going to survive this, we need some joy, hopes and dreams. Thank you for providing it.’ Her words inspired this children’s program,” Ms. Mercer said.
   Joy, Hopes and Dreams initially was intended to get the children out of the motels and expose them to other things, but it has grown to more than taking them to plays, she said. It’s about giving the children a vision for a better future, she added.
   The long-term effects of homelessness and poverty are “very significant” for children to overcome, Ms. Mercer said. Joy, Hopes and Dreams is HomeFront’s main enrichment and education program, which works to provide a “360-degree level of support,” she said.
   The after-school and weekend programming offers educational remediation, socialization and a sense of acceptance and security to children who have experienced the enormous trauma and deprivation which accompanies homelessness, she said.
   The homeless children who participate in Joy, Hopes and Dreams are not eligible for most school-based programs because their families cannot provide transportation, she said. The families are not equipped to handle the routine paperwork, timely applications or other actions needed so the children can take part in after-school activities, she said.
   ”Our children (in Joy, Hopes and Dreams) need to learn things like sharing, following directions and appropriate self-expression,” Ms. Mercer said. “Our children have low self-esteem and a very narrow life experience. They need a program that bolsters their self-image and sense of competence, and that broadens their experience and enhances their enthusiasm for learning.”
   Joy, Hopes and Dreams provides a variety of after-school programs for the children on almost every day of the week — from art classes to theater activities to sports and homework help, Ms. Mercer said. Those activities take place between 3:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., with a dinner break for a hot meal, she said.
   There is an activity almost every weekend and on holidays, Ms. Mercer said. Children may visit the zoo or the State Aquarium. HomeFront’s basketball team practices on Saturday morning. There is a weekly reading club, and weekly computer classes at HomeFront’s own computer lab, she said.
   ”What we hope is that ultimately, the children have good, positive moments in their lives so they will grow up to be productive, good individuals who are living the life they dream,” said Chris Marchetti, the director of Joy, Hopes and Dreams.
   For more information about HomeFront and its programs and how to contribute, visit www.homefrontnj.org.